摘要
As a family of cationic host defense peptides,defensins are mainly synthesized by Paneth cells,neutrophils,and epithelial cells,contributing to host defense.Their biological functions in innate immunity,as well as their structure and activity relationships,along with their mechanisms of action and therapeutic potential,have been of great interest in recent years.To highlight the key research into the role of defensins in human and animal health,we first describe their research history,structural features,evolution,and antimicrobial mechanisms.Next,we cover the role of defensins in immune homeostasis,chemotaxis,mucosal barrier function,gut microbiota regulation,intestinal development and regulation of cell death.Further,we discuss their clinical relevance and therapeutic potential in various diseases,including infectious disease,inflammatory bowel disease,diabetes and obesity,chronic inflammatory lung disease,periodontitis and cancer.Finally,we summarize the current knowledge regarding the nutrient-dependent regulation of defensins,including fatty acids,amino acids,microelements,plant extracts,and probiotics,while considering the clinical application of such regulation.Together,the review summarizes the various biological functions,mechanism of actions and potential clinical significance of defensins,along with the challenges in developing defensins-based therapy,thus providing crucial insights into their biology and potential clinical utility.
基金
We gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the Zhejiang Provincial Key R&D Program of China(2021C02008)
the China Agriculture Research System of MOF and MARA(CARS-35)
the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.32002185,31930057 and U21A20249)
the National Key R&D Program(2018YFA0507802)
Taishan Industrial Leading Talents Project
Program from National Center of Technology Innovation for Pigs for this study。
